Hi , does anybody have good or bad feed back on atlantis bam bam, current eps model? Have just purchased one and there doesn't seem to be much info from people that have bought them. I am about 68kg and have purchased the 6'10"untested. I am concerned at the width and wondering if this will hamper performance. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.I am intending to surf as a secondary board for small conditions and more for beach breaks.

Your weight and conditions for required surfing all should be ok.
Volume maybe at top end.

Hi Crustaceous
I have owned the the 6'10" Bam Bam and found it a bit big for me (I am around 65kg) it is hard to curve / surf because it is too chunky and wide for small surfers but it is excellent as a cheap small / micro wave fun sup / fish for a anyone, but if you want to be able to surf it with a bit of style closer to the pocket and then you need to be around the 80kg mark I think, to compare at present I have a 7'x29 5/8"x5" Corban Hyper which is similar but with thinner rails, and more nose rocker and it carves (see the utube video of the french guy riding it) hope that helps (also it is best to use the largest fins you have in the Bam Bam :-)

Thanks guys! I'm hoping board will be a bit of fun! Figured I would be maxing out on volume. I had also been looking into larger fins. Maybe I need to eat a few more pies!

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crustaceous said..
Thanks guys! I'm hoping board will be a bit of fun! Figured I would be maxing out on volume. I had also been looking into larger fins. Maybe I need to eat a few more pies!

See if you can find some posts from Kami and/or Colas reference fins, they have a lot of knowledge on shorter boards and fins which should help

I did not ride the BamBam, but I am familliar with the Gong Fatal it was copied from.
You are right, the 6'10" (if it is the 125 liters model) is a board for riders 85-105kg (I am 95/100kg)
For your weight, it will be a good board for learning how to paddle short boards, and a fun board for small, weak waves, but will have too much volume and width for you to manage otherwise.

However, the 2016 model is quoted at 105 liters, and should be OK for you for a small wave board in the quiver.

For the fins, I would recommend C-Drive in the front for grip and countering the row (or other wide-based ones), and use as small fins in the rear as possible to help you turn it: with your weight, too big fins in the rear will make it even harder to put on the rail.
I see atlantis has moved the rear fins closer to the rail than on the original Gong, so I would advise you to use it as thruster or twin fins + trailer for a smoother ride. The rear quad will be better for heavier riders.
Anyways, on short boards, fins are very important and depend on your riding style and experience. Experiment a lot! With the proper fin combination, you can extend its wave range. 5-fins can be the trick to use it in larger waves.

This is a board that likes being always in a turn, it is not made for down the line surfing (a lot of curve in the outline)

Thanks Colas, just weighed myself and i am 72kg, so with a wettie on probably close to 75kg. Presumably this should help with volume and the board is at
105 lt. Will definitely play around with fins, but currently like the feel of a quad set up on my boards although they are different to BamBam. Will try as you suggest, larger front ,smaller rear and perhaps a nubster style rear. Cant weight to try it out!

Hello, I don't have any BamBam just get that kind of with 6'4" 29.25" and 85liters. Have to say this that those wide and short board can be use properly in small and mellow waves.,
Once that said I played around fins on that board like on other wide and short ones I got and i can say : smallest fins you can have are the best.
Because up to my (own) theory, fins have to be smallest as possible to shortened as much as possible the distance between your centered back foot and the associated surfaces of planning area and fin area .
It seems to me with larger fins been used this is very hard to bury rails and planning area and water reaction is doing it on fin inside base and tip faces.
So on small waves I use the quatro Aqualine from FCS and on faster and more power full waves on sand banks of my home break I use H2 medium from FCS.
Still want to try the Cdrive fins that are Colas talk about because they are surely the right fins for those wide and short SUPboard.

BTW, I learn that theory talking with TC in the 80' fixing his Byrne board. Those TC Byrne board's wide tail has been finned with small fins to allow him to bury the rail in his well know powerful bottom turn and move. This is why too I like TC fins on my small SUP too because they got wide base and small tip allowing me to bury rail and carve down the line

Thanks Kami,
Yes , have been checking out fcs and there is a set of TC inspired quads for sup , but larger front and smaller rear , which he is quoted as saying , lets you turn more easily and generates speed off the turn. There seems to be differing opinions regarding the best set up, guess its personal to a degree,but there is a bit of a thead for larger front and smaller rear generally. Not sure what you would run in the rear with a c drive in the front? Has anyone used indo fins, there are some options, in their range,I think!!?? Also a lot of variables too , like waves you're surfing/style of surfing/level of experience/ weight, the list goes on. I am more specifically interested in the best combo for 2016 BamBam! May have to buy a couple of different combinations as you suggest and play around!

Kami, yes, I guess the TC fins are in the same spirit as the C-Drive: wide base and thin tip.

These short boards in small waves have tons of acceleration, one instant you are pushing (pumping) hard on the fins to accelerate at the bottom and you want hold, the other you are at full speed and do not want your fins to act as hydrofoils and stiffen the tail. So you want fins that can work in very different conditions.

As for the size, I like big fins in front as they are more forgiving in fickle beach breaks: if you see a bump forming in the wave in front of you you can set up a quick bottom with full force to hit the ramp. Bigger front fins will allow you to push hard on the board without having perfectly dug the rail before. But smaller fins are more efficient in that they free the board to follow its natural path on the wave.
Bigger front fins + smaller rear ones => oversteer, nice for controlled drifts all over the place :-)
With my 100kg, I was definitely losing power in bottom turns with Nexus in front for instance. But I use a Nexus thruster setup on longer (>8') boards where I can rely more on the rails.

On my current Fatal, I used:

XL C-Drive front, nexus rear quads. Fun & fast in small waves, some floating between turns in shoulder-high waves


XL C-Drive front, nexus rear quads, and a nubster: a setup that worked in other boards but not for this board, I could feel it always in turbulent flow (small wobbles in the back foot)


XL C-Drive front, nexus rear quads, and a trailer: tamer in the small waves, but can handle more size and power. The more forgiving setup, less performance than a thruster, but doesnt punish you when you botch a bit your turns in the size


XL C-Drive thruster, the most all-around, but the wide tail means you must be careful to dig properly the rear rail in tuns in the size


And for the fun, my config for my small-wave rocket (the Gong One). Had a blast yesterday in small, clean waves